The first domestically developed obesity medication is entering South Korea’s weight-loss market, long dominated by foreign pharmaceuticals such as Wegovy and Mounjaro.
According to pharmaceutical industry sources on Oct. 29, Epe—developed in-house by Hanmi Pharmaceutical—is now available by prescription at select medical institutions across the country. Shipments began on Oct. 22, though full market availability is expected to take time as supply scales up.
Epe (active ingredient: efpeglenatide) is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, marking South Korea's first homegrown drug in this class. The medication suppresses appetite and delays gastric emptying, promoting prolonged satiety. Administered as a once-weekly injection, treatment begins at a 2 mg dose and titrates upward in stages to 4 mg, 6 mg, 8 mg, and a maximum maintenance dose of 10 mg.
Hanmi Pharmaceutical emphasized that it managed the entire drug development cycle internally—from candidate discovery through to commercialization—validating its therapeutic efficacy specifically within a Korean patient cohort.
In a Phase 3 clinical trial involving 448 Korean adults with obesity, participants receiving Epe for 40 weeks achieved an average body weight reduction of 9.75%, with top responders losing up to 30%.
Price Competitiveness and Market Strategy
Price competitiveness and clinical outcomes are expected to dictate Epe’s commercial success. While its average weight-loss percentage is somewhat lower than that of Wegovy or Mounjaro, its initial supply price offers a distinct advantage.
The supply price for Epe’s starting four-week regimen is 129,800 won—roughly half the 270,000-won supply price for Mounjaro’s lowest dose and well below Wegovy’s 210,000-won entry price. Individual dose supply prices are set at 24,200 won for 2 mg, 40,700 won for 4 mg, 57,200 won for 6 mg, 69,300 won for 8 mg, and 74,800 won for 10 mg.
As the dosage escalates, four-week supply costs rise to 228,800 won for weeks 5 through 8, 277,200 won for weeks 9 through 12, and 299,200 won from week 13 onward. These manufacturer supply prices reflect wholesale costs and differ from out-of-pocket prices paid by patients at clinics and pharmacies.
Hanmi Pharmaceutical aims to capture a significant share of South Korea’s GLP-1 obesity treatment market, which has expanded to approximately 2 trillion won annually, establishing a three-way competition alongside Wegovy and Mounjaro.
"We will improve patient access through rigorous quality control and a reasonable pricing structure so that Epe can gain a strong foothold in the domestic market," a Hanmi Pharmaceutical representative said. "We will do our utmost to help improve the quality of life for patients managing obesity."
